The advantages of having drinking water in an automobile are readily apparent. Individuals may carry water for nourishment, refreshment, to assist in swallowing medicines, or be stored in case of an emergency. Water is especially important in southern climates, where automobile temperatures are elevated by intense sunlight. Air conditioning does not eliminate the need for people to maintain liquid in their bodies and long distance travels, such as truck drivers, are remain subject to dehydration if water loss is not replenished.
Many different products are marketed for maintaining chilled water or sodas during automobile travels. For instance, insulated ice chests are available for placement within the seating area of an automobile for ease of access. However, even ergonomic style devices take up valuable seating area and pose potential safety risks. For example, when a cooler is placed in the back seat of a vehicle a driver must reach over the vehicle front seat, lessening automobile control. Additionally, if the automobile is involved in an accident, a cooler can become a dangerous projectile that may injure occupants inside the automobile. Despite the hazards involved, many individuals keep coolers and ice chests in automobiles since chilled water is a necessity for numerous occassions.
Various enhancements have been made to improve different elements of ice chests. One improvement is the advent of the thermocouple-type refrigeration system that connects directly to a 12 VDC battery and eliminates the need for a compressor. Other enhancements include U.S. Pat. No. 3,850,006 which discloses an ice chest having a built-in cooling unit with quick connects that couple directly to a car's air conditioning system. The '006 device utilizes compressed gas from a conventional automobile air conditioning system to operate a cooling unit within an insulated box. If a cooler is kept in a trunk, while the device may keep fluids cold, it is often inconvenient to use. To retrieve the stored liquids, the vehicle must be stopped and access to the trunk must be provided. This type of effort is not acceptable in many situations. For example, when fluids are needed to help a choking individual, water access must be instantaneous. The need to stop a vehicle to access water stored in the trunk is not only inconvenient, it could prove fatal. The dangers associated with stopping a vehicle along a busy highway or in high-crime areas is obvious. Fear of facing the difficulties associated with pulling over an automobile may cause individuals to delay much-needed fluid consumption. This is of special concern for elderly and young passengers who may develop heat exhaustion, or require water for consuming medicine.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,642,023 discloses a thermal drinking water supply for automobiles that uses a trunk-mounted, pressurized container to provide either hot or cold fluids into the automobile. The fluids must be brought to a desired temperature prior to filling the device and is prone to lost cooling capacity due to its placement.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,669,314 discloses an automobile-mounted hot-and-cold drink dispenser that includes a refrigeration unit to cool water and a heat exchanger to heat water. The '314 device places the storage, heating, and cooling units inside an automobile, which limits usefulness to automobiles having large cabin space.
Thus, what is lacking in the art is the ability to provide chilled water upon demand inside an automobile in a convenient and safe manner.